Computeractive

Sometimes it feels like you’ve got more chance of finding a wombat that speaks Esperanto than whatever you’re searching for on Google. Once you’ve scrolled past the adverts, lists, questions and irrelevant websites, you may stumble upon some decent results – though by then you’ve forgotten what you were looking for (it probably wasn’t multilingual marsupials). At heart Google remains an exceptional search engine. But more than ever you need to master certain tactics to get past the rubbish. Robert Irvine explains the best tips in his Cover Feature, such as filtering results by topic, getting more accurate outcomes in ‘snippets’, and combining images and text in searches. He also reveals tricks that Google won’t want you to learn, including eradicating adverts in results, removing links that track you, and…

You can now record your screen using Windows 11’s Snipping Tool, as part of Microsoft’s latest major update for the operating system. There are also new tools for Notepad and Task Manager in the update, which is the second of Microsoft’s ‘Moments’ series of new tools for Windows 11. It announced this type of update last year as a way to add tools to Windows 11 “when they are ready”, rather than waiting for the annual Feature update in the autumn. To use the new screen-recording tool, open Snipping Tool by searching for it or by pressing Windows key+Shift+S, then click the Record (camcorder) icon – see screenshot 1. Now click the New button, and you’ll notice your screen going darker and that your mouse cursor has changed into crosshairs.…

More Windows 7 and 8.1 users have switched to Windows 10 than 11 since Microsoft ended support for the operating systems in January. The proportion of Windows computers running 10 rose by 4.39 per cent in February to 73.25 per cent – its biggest monthly increase in years. Windows 11 use also increased, but by just 1.01 per cent to 19.13 per cent. Windows 7’s market share almost halved in February, falling from 9.55 to 5.34 per cent, while 8.1 use fell to 1.14 per cent. See the figures at www.snipca.com/45266.…

Police arrested four people in a nationwide crackdown on IPTV boxes that let people watch paid-for TV such as Sky for free. Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) searched four premises in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Stoke, seizing computer equipment, laptops and phones. The operation, which took place in February, was organised by PIPCU, Police Scotland and Sky. They believe the arrests will prevent more than 500,000 people from watching paid-for TV illegally. As well as the arrests, more than 200 ‘cease and desist’ notices were given to individuals suspected of using illegal streaming services. These have become more popular in the past year as people cancel their legal subscriptions to save money. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson from PIPCU said that gangs often see selling illegal…

WH Smith has said that customer accounts weren’t affected by a cyber-attack that saw hackers access information about current and former staff. It said that hackers may have stolen staff data including names, addresses, National Insurance numbers and dates of birth, but the attack didn’t affect its website nor its stores. The Information Commissioner’s Office, which investigates data breaches, said it was aware of the incident. In a short statement filed at the London Stock Exchange, it said: “WH Smith takes the issue of cyber-security extremely seriously and investigations into the incident are ongoing.” “Upon becoming aware of the incident, we immediately launched an investigation, engaged specialist support services and implemented our incident response plans, which included notifying the relevant authorities,” it added. WH Smith said that it has put…

SIGN UP FOR VIRGIN’S SOCIAL TARIFF QUICKER Virgin Media customers no longer need to repeatedly prove they’re on benefits in order to get its Essentials social tariff package. The company has started using the Government’s new scheme that automatically checks whether a customer is eligible. Virgin’s Essentials costs from £12.50 a month for 15Mbps (www.snipca.com/45255). Sky is the only other major provider to use automatic checking (see Issue 650, page 8). GET 60GB OF SMARTY DATA FOR £10 A MONTH Virtual mobile network Smarty is offering 60GB of data to new customers in a SIM-only deal that costs £10 a month. This is double the normal amount of data available for the price. The offer, which runs until 9 May, comes with EU roaming and unlimited calls and texts, and…